More should be done apart from putting up a post: Priya Mani Raj

Strap: Priyamani talks about her bond with her father, the relevance of Father’s Day and celebrating through social media

Actor Priya Mani Raj juggles with night shoots in Mumbai as she reminisces about her bond with her father. “He’s not too big into surprises but the best way to celebrate this Father’s Day would be to fly down to Bengaluru, without telling him, and be there in-person,” says the Family Man (2019) actor. “I’ve surprised him like that twice before and he’s always been happy about it. He always urges me to stay longer with him. I guess what they say is true, that a father-daughter bond and a mother-son bond are the strongest,” she adds.

“I am extremely close to my father than my mother. There are things I share with him which I wouldn’t with my mother. We aren’t exactly expressive, but I know that we enjoy each other’s company a lot. We like staying at home together and watching a film or a web series, or order in food. We even drive down to my other apartment in Bengaluru to spend the weekend sometimes. He keeps sending good morning messages everyday and he makes sure that the communication between us is not lost. There’s a ritual that we do every Sunday where he calls after his breakfast and we talk for an hour or so, talking about our lives and joking about silly things. He’s extremely funny with a good sense of humour with dry sarcasm. It’s almost like two friends are talking and sharing anecdotes,” Priya says.

“For me a celebration is to be with your loved ones,” Priya says and continues, “I would either buy them dinner or take them out to dinner to celebrate the day. As long as you’re spending time with them, as it’s not every day that you get to be with your loved ones.”

Father’s Day, according to Priya, is a rare occasion where fathers’ get their deserved dues .”It’s not given as much importance as Mother’s Day, but I wish people take this day and turn it into a grander celebration. Fathers deserve it,” she says and continues to talk about the social media discourse on special days like these, “More should be done on these days apart from putting up a post or a story. Social media platforms have become so popular that even the smallest of wishes get put up on there. Be it a birthday post or an appreciation post for your parents, there’s an ‘I love you’ or a ‘Thank you for bringing me to the world’, and while I’m not against it I also believe that these are extremely personal moments to be shared publicly.How did we celebrate these days before technology took over our lives? I wish times could back to then when life was very simple without having the urge to share it with everyone. I don’t think it’s bad entirely but there are some moments that can be personal,” she adds.